HENRY FLAGLER RIDES AGAIN Reviving Cities, Towns and Rail Stations Along the FEC Corridor APA Florida/CNU Florida Brown Bag Presentation February 23, 2010
Jacksonville Palm Beach Royal Poinciana Hotel: 1894 Key West FEC Miami
With my railroad in Florida I envision an American Riviera. Henry M. Flagler, 1895 Henry Flagler
1910 1963 Penn Station, NYC Image Source: Wi kimedi a One entered the City like a god;
2010 Penn Station, NYC Image Source: Wi kimedi a Image Source: Wi kimedi a one scuttles in now like a rat. Vincent Scully New Yorker Magazine, 1965
But he could have just as easily been writing about Look We have arrived!
Jacksonville Palm Beach Royal Poinciana Hotel: 1894 Key West FEC Miami
Working on the Railroad Jacksonville South Florida East Coast Corridor Study Amtrak/FEC Corridor Project Preparations Being Made by Towns and Cities Along the FEC Railway FDOT/DCA Model Code for TODs FEC (351 miles) Miami Image Source: Flagler Museum Image Source: FDOT
What will become of this environment?
It will have to change.
No Shortage of Railroads in Florida (37) Common Freight Carriers Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway (AGR) AN Railway (AN) Bay Line Railroad (BAYL) CSX Transportation (CSXT) First Coast Railroad (FCRD) Florida Central Railroad (FCEN) Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Florida Midland Railroad (FMID) Florida Northern Railroad (FNOR) Florida West Coast Railroad (FWCR) Georgia and Florida Railway (GFRR) Norf olk Southern Railway (NS) Seminole Gulf Railway (SGLR) South Central Florida Express, Inc. (SCXF) Talley rand Terminal Railroad (TTR) Private Freight Carriers Of the 223,000 miles nationally, Florida has about 3,400 miles of track on the ground. Paved roads in the US: 5.7 million miles. Paved roads in Florida: 101,798 miles. CF Industries (CFIZ) Conrad Yelv ington Distributors, Inc. (CYDX) The Mosaic Company (IMCX) NASA Railroad (NLAX) Perdue Farms (PFMX) Port Manatee Railroad (MAUP) Port of Palm Beach District (PPBD) Port of Panama City (PPC) Passenger Carriers Amtrak (AMTK) SunRail (Proposed) HSR Orlando/Tampa (Proposed) Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum (FGCX) JTA Sky way TECO Line Streetcar System Miami Metromov er Miami Metrorail Inland Lakes Railway (ILRV) Okav ango Railroad Seminole Gulf Railway (SGLR) Tri-Rail (TRCX) Walt Disney World Monorail Walt Disney World Railroad
Great Union Railroad Depot Jacksonville, Florida 1919-1974 1986-2010 Image Source: FDOT Passenger Terminal Convention Image Source: FDOTCenter
Working on This Issue Since 1986 St. Lucie County Fort Pierce Martin County Jensen Beach Stuart Port Salerno Hobe Sound Palm Beach County Tequesta Jupiter (3) Palm Beach Gardens Lake Park Riviera Beach Mangonia Park West Palm Beach (8) Lake Worth (2) Boynton Beach Delray Beach Boca Raton (2) Broward County Oakland Park Miami-Dade County Miami Shores Overtown El Portal Fort Pierce Boca Raton Miami Shores Stuart Jupiter West Palm Beach Oakland Park Overtown
People are beginning to understand What is TOD Walkable special districts or neighborhoods located at & around transit stations in a ¼ to ½ mile ring Contains broad mix of uses (such as residential, office, retail, entertainment, civic/cultural) Tie-into local transit (trolleys, buses, taxis) Densities appropriate to context More compact than surrounding areas Built around civic plazas & community spaces Appropriate treatment of parking (shared, reduced & structured)
And the Differences Between TOD vs TAD Transit Oriented Development vs. Transit Adjacent Development Auto-oriented uses Large surface parking lots Suburban office campuses Big-box format retail Pedestrian unfriendly
You Want Better Ridership? EFFECTS OF LAND USE AND URBAN DESIGN ON TRANIST MODE SHARE Availability of Convenience Services Mix of Land Use Accessibility of Services Areas Perceived as Safe Aesthetically Pleasing Environment 3.7% increase in transit 3.5% increase in transit 3.3% increase in transit 1.8% increase in transit 4.1% increase in transit Design Matters
CSX Tracks 70 miles 18 stations 12-15,000 riders/day 1987 Some would say Right Train, Wrong Track. 2030 and 2035 LRTPs suggest service on the FEC Line.
Jacksonville Jacksonville Current Condition Tri-Rail (Miami-Mangonia Park on the CSX) Amtrak (Miami-Jacksonville on the CSX) No Passenger Service on the FEC Tampa Key West CSX West Palm Beach FEC Palm Beach Miami
In 1994: A Huge Missed Opportunity FEC Railroad and Land FOR SALE $400,000,000 Image Source: Florida State Archi ves
Passenger Service on the FEC? Close in 2001 But the Money Ran Out
2008 A Paradigm Shift
It s imagining new transportation systems. I d like to see high speed rail where it can be constructed. I would like for us to invest in mass transit because potentially that s energy efficient. And I think people are a lot more open now to thinking regionally The days where we re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that s not a smart way to design communities. So we should be using this money to help spur this sort of innovative thinking when it comes to transportation. (President Barack Obama, Fort Myers, FL Feb 10, 2009)
Image Source: Florida State Archi ves
Auto and truck transportation accounts for 70 percent of the oil consumed by the US and nearly one-third of its carbon emissions. So one of my jobs is to keep cars off our nation s roads and highways. U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood Parade Magazine, 2009
Change Viewed as a Necessity
South Florida East Coast Corridor Study Focus on NORTH-SOUTH mobility issues 85-mile study area centered on the FEC Alignment Encompasses Tri-Rail and future FEC alternatives Addresses EAST-WEST and other feeder connections Work with towns and cities on land use mix and station locations US1 as an opportunity corridor A Regional Plan $$$
Amtrak/FEC/FDOT Federal Stimulus Project $268,000,000 for stations and track improvement It s a Bargain!
Has Led to Some of TCRPC s Most Important Work WPB/TOD Charrette January 9-15, 2010
Has Led to Some of TCRPC s Most Important Work WPB/TOD Charrette January 9-15, 2010
KEY COMPONENTS (SFECC + Amtrak) Future N-S Service on FEC Extend Tri-Rail Service North of WPB Provide New Amtrak Service From Jacksonville to Miami Through WPB West Palm Beach Create Required Connector CSX FEC
Potential CSX/FEC Connector Locations At this time, the Northwood location seems most feasible CSX FEC ~ Preserves Seaboard Station ~ Area is older, industrial uses ~ No direct neighborhood impacts ~ Within NW/PC CRA
Potential CSX/FEC Crossover Locations The Northwood location also poses design challenges CSX FEC
A Sampling of Pending Transit/TOD
The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 1087 miles of track Image Source: Wi kipedia
You d Think We Could Make a Deal? Image Source: Florida State Archi ves
If Agriculture is the New Golf, then Billions ($$$) are the New Millions ($$) THIS YEAR $800,000,000 Amtrak Capital Projects $6 Billion over the next 4 Years for Amtrak Projects $2.5 Billion for Intercity/HSR $2-$3 Billion in Jobs Bill $1.25 Billion for High Speed Rail
This Just In February 22, 2010
I ve Been Waiting for 42 Years, Where s My Train? www.tcrpc.org